Variable rate water distribution systems provide automated control for delivering liquid from a liquid source to target distribution areas. Variable rate water distribution systems may operate in large spatial areas with thousands of control elements arranged in complex infrastructures (e.g., building piping infrastructures, hothouses, garden centers, agricultural lands, etc.). Typically, variable rate water distribution systems comprise fixed (i.e., permanent) infrastructures to facilitate delivery of liquid to target distribution areas.
One such implementation of variable rate water distribution systems enables differential watering of crops for agricultural lands. For example, soil properties and crops (e.g., soil water holding capacity, types of crops, etc.) are rarely uniform throughout an entire target water distribution area. Variable rate water distribution systems address the dynamic water demands of different soils and crops by delivering a variable amount of water to different portions of the target water distribution area. For example, variable rate water distribution systems may deliver water to only a smaller portion of a large plot of agricultural land.